GPS Navigation Device

A GPS navigation device is any device that receives Global Positioning System (GPS) signals for the purpose of determining the device's current location on Earth. GPS devices provide latitude and longitude information, and some may also calculate altitude, although this is not considered sufficiently accurate or continuously available enough (due to the possibility of signal blockage and other factors) to rely on exclusively to pilot aircraft. GPS devices are used in military, aviation, marine and consumer product applications.

GPS devices may also have additional capabilities such as:

• maps, including streets maps, displayed in human readable format via text or in a graphical format
• turn-by-turn navigation directions to a human in charge of a vehicle or vessel via text or speech
• directions fed directly to an autonomous vehicle such as a robotic probe
• traffic congestion maps (depicting either historical or real time data) and suggested alternative directions
• information on nearby amenities such as restaurants, fueling stations, tourist attractions, etc.

In other words, all GPS devices can answer the question "Where am I?", and may also be able to answer:

• which roads or paths are available to me now?
• which roads or paths should I take in order to get to my desired destination?
• if some roads are usually busy at this time or are busy right now, what would be a better route to take?
• where can I find food, fuel or other needs nearby?
• the shortest route between two locations